Dear Friends,
Samuel Johnson remarked that “Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation; you do not find it among gross people.” Gratitude is a vital part of the true Christian spirit, because it requires us to be appreciatively alive to the actions and feelings and motives of others. It is a virtue that requires an acute sense of relationship with God and other people, and so opens us to the ‘grace’ of God, however that comes to us. Perhaps the leper in today’s Gospel was acutely aware of relationships because, as a leper and a Samaritan in that society, he was so cruelly denied them. But that also made him doubly aware of what Jesus had done, the grace that had been given him.
Jane Williams remarks of this episode in the Gospel, “Jesus says to the leper, ‘Your faith has made you whole.’ In that sentence he gives the man back power over his own life, treating him as an equal, fully restored to human relationships. What a gift to a man who was used to being shunned, spending all his life only with other lepers, and with people throwing charity at him and then running away quickly to escape contamination.”
Being fully restored to relationships, human and divine, is what heaven is about, or the Kingdom that Jesus proclaims. That is supposed to be our business as a Church, as Christians.
Perhaps we can bear all this in mind as we thank God for our safety during our city’s recent trauma, and as we consider responding to Bishop Victoria’s appeal to make a thanksgiving gift to people in Haiti, and also reflect on the costly gesture of the Tongan people towards us.
Schools throughout the country, including our own S. Michael’s School, return for the fourth term tomorrow. We pray for teachers and all staff and pupils as they do so.
S. Luke’s Day is on Monday week, and we are invited to join the people for their celebration that evening. As their church building can’t be used, we shall gather with them in the Rose Historic Chapel in Colombo Street.
May God bless you all.
Fr Peter Williams
Anniversaries of the Departed
The list used for weekly remembrances is being made available in the church for the next ten days for parishioners to check dates, spelling etc. It is also important that each listed name have a contact name or reference, so please fill in this column where necessary.
If you have names to add, please print them at the foot of the appropriate page.
This chronological list will be re-arranged in alphabetical order to form the basis for the All Souls’ Day Commemoration
